The First Group Battle

I returned to my room and cleansed my body with the hot water Teisha had prepared.
Suddenly, memories of recent events flashed before my eyes.

What have I been doing until now?
I've been worrying people, acting selfishly, and loving someone. And I've hurt someone important.
The abnormal state of war has distorted my normal judgment.

I remember someone like that from my company days.
They always had a difficult expression, stayed late at work alone, and one day they were just gone. I don't even know when they quit.
If things had continued like that, I might have disappeared from the world too.

Is it the interaction between people...?
It's only now that I truly realize that people can't live alone.

I heard a knock at the door.

"Are you still awake?"

Riz entered the room.
She's so dear. I never thought I could love someone this much.

I approached her and gently hugged her.
"Hiro..."

I tightened my embrace and kissed her.
"Riz, I love you. Thank you for today."

She was surprised by the sudden movement but then blushed.
"Yeah."
"It was tough, but I want to survive with you."

Her serious eyes reflected a firm nod.
"Okay. I'll just finish the laundry."

While doing the laundry with the remaining hot water, I realized the subtleties I hadn't noticed before, perhaps because of my past selfishness.
Since we met under these circumstances, I must have been distant, thinking of her as just another person.
Thinking about our engagement, I feel embarrassed.

After finishing the laundry, I went to dry it. The sky was covered with stars, and as always, I was overwhelmed by the sight.

"This is something I can definitely say I'm glad about coming here."

I returned to the room, got into bed, and had casual conversations while putting Riz to sleep. Just like yesterday, I quietly prepared myself and slipped out of the room.

I knew she was worried, but now I had to push through.
To hide my fatigue, I thought about making the training more efficient.

Under the moonlight, I clenched the warmth of human connection and continued my training.

This morning, considering the fatigue and ending early, I didn't feel too tired.
"Yeah, you seemed tired yesterday, but you're fine this morning," Riza said.
Even Teisha was smiling during breakfast, so I thought everything was okay.

After breakfast, I headed to the guild to retrieve Fia and then went to the forest.

Starting from the usual point by the stream, I gradually moved deeper into the forest.
As expected, the density of goblins had increased.
Compared to yesterday, the encounter rate had risen, and the extermination speed had improved due to higher vigilance and stealth skills.

Even with the increased movement, I managed to hunt around 70 goblins by midday. The pace was fast.
Among them, I noticed three patterns of groups: those searching the surroundings, those gathering food, and those fleeing from something.
Occasionally, I saw goblins fighting each other or one goblin abducting another, which I took advantage of to defeat them.

"Fia, have you seen goblins fighting each other or abducting someone?"
"Hmm, I've seen them fighting in different groups, but I didn't get close because it was dangerous. I haven't seen any abductions."

Thinking about the situation, I realized that the commanding unit of one group was absorbing other groups. Normally, in a forest of this size, there must be countless goblins.

Those fleeing were escaping because a large group was approaching. The abductions were to incorporate them into the group.
The deeper parts of the forest were dangerous and couldn't be interfered with. However, by continuing to exterminate goblins at the entrance, the expansion of the group could be delayed.

This delaying action was valuable. It was unclear when they would attack, but once the group reached a certain size, they would likely be satisfied and launch an attack.
The question was how much we could reduce the size of the group.
Ultimately, the size of the group would depend on the skill of the commanding unit. For now, the goal was to delay them as much as possible until the knights arrived.

I decided that today, I would try engaging in a group battle. I planned to gather a small group of about 10 goblins and fight them.

I found a relatively open area in the forest, left the two of them there, and went to lure the group.
It was difficult to maintain a steady speed, but I managed to gather a group of about 10 goblins and led them back.

In games, this would be easy, but here, without hate or aggro, they wouldn't chase.
I had to go back, provoke them, and lead them to our position.

We stood at the predetermined location, ready with a makeshift glaive.

This was our first group battle that wasn't an ambush. We had some combat experience from chance encounters, but this was a matter of numbers.

The group appeared energetically from the bushes. At a glance, no one had straggled. It was a success.

"Take care of your companions' conditions. Focus on defense and only attack when you can."

Fatigue and injuries were inevitable, so we prioritized keeping up our stamina. We reserved our power by being patient. If we managed to injure one, we would neutralize them immediately.

The group's vanguard charged with wooden spears or rusty swords, striking fiercely. Even at this scale, it was terrifying.

Riz and Fia were the vanguard, while I was in the middle, using the makeshift glaive to hold them off. I would use magic only when necessary.

As we clashed, they naturally formed a half-encirclement. The group surrounded us in a reverse triangle.
I focused on holding them off so we wouldn't be encircled from behind. There was no time to think about the direction of the blades.
I swung the makeshift glaive through the gaps opened by the vanguard and repeatedly parried from the sides.

After defeating two or three goblins, a spear pierced Riz's shoulder armor. I panicked and considered using magic.

"I'm fine!!"

Despite the pain, she swung her hammer desperately. The movement of her left arm's shield was severely impaired.
There was no time to pull out the spear, and divine magic couldn't be used in this state.
I focused on holding off the goblins on Riz's left.

Meanwhile, Fia seemed about to be surrounded.

"Riz is doing her best, so I can't let myself die!!"

Fia's sword strikes became sharper with determination. After defeating four or five goblins, the pressure eased.
We stopped holding off and spread out, with me moving forward.
With large swings that slowed the goblins' movements, the two of us delivered the finishing blows.

The area fell silent again. I quickly pulled out the spear from Riz's shoulder.
The wound was fairly deep, but it had avoided major blood vessels. I used divine magic to heal it.

"Ah, you're amazing. There's no scar left."

Despite the pain and fear, she didn't show it on her face.
"Was it too soon?" Regret twisted my face, and Riz's finger covered my mouth.

"Group battle practice is absolutely necessary, right? Don't worry. Everyone is alive."

Both of them nodded seriously.

Honestly, there were parts I had underestimated. Group battles were different from ambushes and were more dangerous.
Magic usage was also risky because of the risk of overstepping.

"Starting tomorrow, let's hunt while considering group battles."

I forced a smile, trying to hide my anxiety.
A leader can't show fear. If I don't act confidently, no one will follow.

"Alright, let's call it a day. Let's hunt the remaining goblins and return to the village. I want to visit the blacksmith."

After dealing with the remaining goblins, we returned to the village with around 80 goblins defeated.

"The achievement reward is 240,000 for 80 goblins. Is that okay?"

I handed out 60,000 each. The party funds, split into four, exceeded 150,000. The achievement count was divided equally.

"I'm sorry for involving you in something dangerous."
"No, no. When there's profit, I'm really happy."

Fia smiled innocently.

"I was scared thinking about you facing such danger alone."
Riz also smiled bitterly.
Girls are strong.

We headed to the blacksmith as planned.

"Your previous armor is ready."

Riz tried it on. The belt fit perfectly, and it didn't restrict her movements.

"I can kick!"

I hoped she wouldn't kick something made of iron. It would hurt her foot.

We also discussed other armor, but stock in town was limited. A full set of women's armor would take time to prepare and cost over 1 million.
For two people, it would be 2 million, which was like the annual income of two houses.

Taking a loan for this would require courage. Earlier, we talked about borrowing from the guild, but it would tie us to them in many ways, both tangible and intangible.
The guild was intimidating.

As for weapons, Fia's sword was still in good condition. Even if it was worn down, it wasn't a big difference.
The problem was that changing weapons would require time to get used to. If the balance of the sword changed, I'd need a lot of practice.

So, we opted for leather products that minimized exposure. After trying several options, we found a set that didn't restrict movement and had a decent appearance.
It looked like a somewhat heavy leather armor set.

When we asked about the price, each piece was about 50,000, which was affordable with our recent income. Considering today's injury, it was worth buying. The others agreed.

"The spear will take a bit longer. The processing is complicated."

Well, the spear would have to wait.

I sent the two for their usual training to get used to the new equipment. There was plenty to do.

I went to the shoe shop.
The shoes were ready, so I exchanged them for the parchment I had.

I returned to the guild and called out to Harthis. I wanted to check the progress.
He came down immediately.

"Thank you for your efforts every day. It's truly appreciated."

I shared my thoughts from today and discussed the situation.

"The horses have returned."

He spoke with a cheerful expression.

The viscount's side had immediately begun forming the knight squadron. The location where the diawolves were found was the shortest access point to the treasure. It was no wonder they took it seriously.
The formation was faster than expected, but the arrival was still uncertain. If anything, it was more likely they would arrive without much delay.

The advance party had already been sent, handling material transportation and setting up the base.
It was reassuring that capable people were looking ahead and taking action.

"The gag order has been officially issued. The staff has been informed and is in agreement. Regarding goblin extermination, more adventurers are joining, and the number of goblins hunted is increasing..."

But as he said, hunting them was like pouring water on hot stones.
However, it wasn't meaningless to reduce their numbers. The knights would wait at the base and suppress the group when it came out of the forest, leading to annihilation and mop-up.
This delaying action was effective in buying time. It was a shared opinion.

"The town's guild has been informed about this matter. Moreover, the guild master highly evaluates your observational skills and response."

It was reassuring that the higher-ups trusted me. This meant I wouldn't be treated as a scapegoat. Harthis's expression also indicated that.

We exchanged greetings, and I left the guild and returned to Ast's house.
I greeted Teisha and quickly returned to my room to change my shoes.

The fit was better than expected. Honestly, I had underestimated it. The craftsmanship was amazing.
I adjusted the straps and went to the garden. Training, training, and more training.

The wind was gradually cooling, and as the sun set, the evening painted the world in red.